


At Dawn

by ScarfyTheShipster



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Gen, Gentle Kissing, Hair Brushing, Intimacy, Love, M/M, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Promises, Senerio | Soren-centric, Sharing a Bed, Sleeping Together, Sleepy Cuddles, Vulnerability, im a decade late to this fandom but here we go, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:20:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29161794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarfyTheShipster/pseuds/ScarfyTheShipster
Summary: Ikesoren fluff set sometime in Radiant Dawn.-Soren never used to look forward to getting up. It was simply another task, dull and unremarkable.It was different with Ike.Everything was different with Ike.By then, Ike was as tough and battle hardened as any beorc could get. He didn’t have quite the bulk some men had who wore full suits of armor, but even at rest with his arm around Soren’s waist, Soren could sense the strength in the one holding him. Soren blinked awake in the early hours of the day to Ike’s steady breathing at his back, snuggled close.
Relationships: Ike/Senerio | Soren
Comments: 6
Kudos: 42





	At Dawn

Soren never used to look forward to getting up. It was simply another task, dull and unremarkable. 

It was different with Ike.

Everything was different with Ike.

By then, Ike was as tough and battle hardened as any beorc could get. He didn’t have quite the bulk some men had who wore full suits of armor, but even at rest with his arm around Soren’s waist, Soren could sense the strength in the one holding him. Soren blinked awake in the early hours of the day to Ike’s steady breathing at his back, snuggled close. 

He’d resisted it at first. The notion of being held or touched kindly was foreign to Soren, and he’d shied away from it despite craving such warmth. He couldn’t have conceived of the idea of being shown affection and any amount of doting without pity attached, or someone trying to be motherly to him. Soren supposed he technically must’ve been held at some point as a baby, and thought that would be the last of that. 

Ike showed him how wrong he was. Ike’s calloused hand on Soren’s chest was protective, calming. His breath in Soren’s hair swayed stray strands above his forehead like a soft breeze. Even Ike’s body curved with Soren’s smaller one so they fit together like a puzzle, knees and ankles tangled and crossed over each other in a lover’s pose under the privacy of their blankets. Even asleep, Ike’s every heartbeat next to Soren’s own whispered, ‘I love you. You’re safe.’

Soren’s cheeks warmed as his thoughts raced. He couldn’t be turning into such a sap inside. “Ike.” They had to get out of bed and get busy in camp. 

Ike remained asleep. His hobby wasn’t napping for nothing.

“Ike!”

“Ughn.”

Soren narrowed his eyes as Ike cuddled closer, nose in Soren’s hair. “IKE!”

“Hm?”

“It’s morning.” Ike pressed his lips to the top of Soren’s head, eyes still closed. No one could say Ike was lazy- far from it. He was, however, turning out to be a horrible riser when he had a bedmate. Soren was struggling to be bothered. “We have to get up, you know.”

“We do.” Ike propped himself up on his elbow. Their bedding slid down with the motion, blankets resting on Ike’s hipbone. Soren sat up and looked behind him, eyes tracing the curve of Ike’s back, easy to follow even under his sleeveless shirt. Ike caught the look with one of his own, eyes soft with affection- or perhaps drowsiness. “Let me brush your hair.”

“You’ve grown efficient at it,” Soren admitted.

“Hmmm.” Ike patted around in the packs, digging out Soren’s hairbrush. He situated himself behind Soren and gently dragged his fingers through the disheveled strands by Soren’s temple, sweeping the hair back behind his shoulder. Ike’s fingertips didn’t stop there, lingering and caressing down the side of Soren’s neck before dropping. “I think you enjoy it.”

“I think you like fussing,” Soren breathed. Ike repeated the same motion on the other side, gathering all of Soren’s hair to brush. Soft bristles teased Soren’s lower back as Ike started with short strokes, working up from the ends. The repetitive motion lulled him into a peaceful state, eyes closed and breaths deep. 

For just a few minutes, they were a couple getting ready for the day. It was refreshing as mediation. Soren gratefully let his mind go blank until Ike finished brushing his hair out until it was perfectly smooth. Soren caught himself on the verge of a smile and spoke instead. “Have you gotten any better at tying it back? Titania gave me such a knowing look when you did it the first time.”

“You’ll have to trust me, but yes.” Ike worked on fastening Soren’s hair with his favorite string. “It’s just that you have so much of it. I got lost at first.”

Soren snorted. “Talk about getting lost in my hair in peacetime.”

“I will.”

There it was, that promise. The dependability. Even before they were physically together, Soren associated Ike with trust. Trust in a boy that found Soren when he was like a feral animal, homeless and alone. Trust in someone who never learned how to hate like all the laguz and beorc Soren had ever known. He waited for Ike to finish before turning to him and reaching up to pat down his spikes of blue hair. “I’d return the favor, but it looks the same whether it’s been slept on or tamed.”

“Help me with this then.” Ike pulled on his daily clothes and handed Soren his shoulder armor. Soren carefully fastened the leather straps, meticulous in assuring it fit correctly. Without being asked, Soren took Ike’s bracers and slid them on, adjusting the fittings against his forearm just right. Ike watched as Soren’s fingertips lingered here or there, affection disguised as tentative, testing touches. “Thank you,” he murmured softly. “It feels like good luck, having your handiwork protecting me.”

Soren swallowed, averting his eyes as his cheeks threatened to blush. He still held Ike’s hand and wrist in his, giving Ike’s hand an imperceptible squeeze. “Then I shall continue to do it daily, for our fortune’s sake.” Letting go took effort, but they only had minutes to spare.

Flowing mage robes requires no assistance and Soren donned his in a swirl of black and silver trim. He smoothed down the layers and reached for where he’d left his slate blue sash, raising his eyebrows when it was gone.

“Looking for this?” Ike raised his arms, ends of the fabric in both hands, and stepped close to Soren again, guiding it over Soren’s head and then down against Soren’s back with a grin. 

Soren let himself be lured closer, eyes locked on Ike’s. He laid his hands on Ike’s chest and angled his head up. “Ike,” he whispered. Ike leaned down and kissed him as he slid his palms around Soren’s abdomen, bringing them together and tying the knot that would rest on Soren’s hip with a smile. In the tight space of their kiss Soren reflected Ike’s smile against his lips, the sensation foreign but pleasant. 

Their kiss broke after a few blissful moments, and Ike memorized Soren’s expression in his arms. Once outside, Soren would freeze over like water at nightfall, but for just him, he was warmer, a touch softer at the edges. “There. That’s for your good luck too.”

Though it was his own accessory, the sash felt more like a lover’s favor since Ike had tied it. Soren nodded, feeling how Ike had made a knot similar to Soren’s usual way, but different enough that he could tell he hadn’t done it himself. “I’ll see you back safe tonight, so you can undo it yourself.”

It was a statement, a declaration, and one Ike echoed in his own way. He opened the tent flap to the brisk air and bright sunshine outside. “And tomorrow, we’ll get each other dressed again.”

**Author's Note:**

> My first Tellius fic! My twitter is @strangefakefate and my tumblr is flatescardos
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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